


Stranger

by onebizarrekai



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Legend of Zelda, I'm getting to make some of my own lore and I'm having a time, I'm making a whole zelda au, Kokichi is a grown-up Kokiri, M/M, Shuichi is a prince, Zeldaronpa, don't mind me, i'm making this a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24241141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onebizarrekai/pseuds/onebizarrekai
Summary: Prince Shuichi goes on a mini adventure to the woods to find a flower and encounters one of the most ridiculous people he has ever met.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106





	Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> did anyone ever ask for there to be a zeldaronpa? probably not, but I grew up on zelda and grew up writing terrible stories about zelda and it's incredibly nostalgic for me. yes I am absolutely having a good time with this
> 
> so basically what happened was that my siblings and I started replaying twilight princess together soon after when my partner and I finished playing v3 and I was so intent on fixing everything and doing the characters justice that I made an au

“Well, would you look at that!” a voice exclaimed in the distance. Shuichi’s attention was claimed immediately–he’d barely had a moment to process what had just happened, much less how to get out of it. The world hung upside down before his eyes, his cape falling down behind his head. How embarrassing was it that he’d been snagged in a petty trap? “You’re not who I was expecting.”

Shuichi was still looking for the voice. A boy dropped down in front of him, tilting his head sideways at the suspended Shuichi and pursing his lips with certain curiosity. The boy exuded energy that deemed ‘troublemaker’. It made sense, considering he had coordinated a trap like this. Shuichi opened his mouth to speak, but the boy held up a finger much too close to his lips.

“Oh, don’t tell me,” the boy said. Shuichi narrowed his eyes. The other boy’s eyes lit up, and he bounced back. “I know who you are! You’re one of those visiting royals! That’s _embarrassing_. Not only were you snooping around the woods like a total stupidhead, but you got yourself stuck to a tree.”

Shuichi finally opened his mouth. He cleared his throat. “Let me down from here,” he declared, pointing at the other boy the best he could from his position. The troublemaker didn’t look amused. He coyly pushed Shuichi’s finger back down and away from his face. “This instant!”

“But listen, _listen_ ,” the other boy started, shaking his head. He lightly tapped the flute he had in his other hand against his cheek. “You’re in my territory, my dear royal. You’re the one who came out here. Why’d you do that, by the way? Don’t you have a castle to live at?”

“It was stifling, but that’s none of your business,” Shuichi declared, crossing his arms for a lack of anywhere else to put them. “Do you want me to give you something? Is that what this is?”

The other boy scoffed. “Stifling? You look like a shut-in,” he said. “You totally came out here for another reason. I would know that.”

Shuichi didn’t bother responding, instead watching the other blankly.

The short boy let out a hum, tapping a finger against his chin. “Looking for a gift for your beloved, perhaps?” he asked. Shuichi’s eye twitched. “You’re nothing original. People come here all the time thinking there’s some _mystical treasures_ hidden out here, no regard for the curses.”

“C…Curses?” Shuichi asked. He shook his head. “No, just let me down, I don’t care.”

“And then they neeeever come back,” the other boy continued regardless, making some ghostly movements with his fingers. “Those stupid enough to come out here and get lost become as the dead in stasis, forced to wander as animated corpses for time and all eternity.”

Shuichi blinked slowly, looking nothing but unamused.

The troublemaker pouted. “You think I’m making this up, Princey?” he asked. Shuichi did a double take.

“ _Pri_ –Forget it,” Shuichi replied. “If the woods are so dangerous, why in the goddess’s name are you out here?”

“Oh, come on, haven’t you figured it out?” the boy asked him. He innocently pointed at his face. “I’m a forest spirit, doiht.”

Shuichi blinked his eyes wider in surprise. “But… you’re not a child. Aren’t you also supposed to…”

“Have a fairy companion? Yeah, we just don’t talk about that,” the other boy said.

“You’re not really a forest spirit, are you?” Shuichi asked. “You’re just pretending.”

“Oh, Princey. You’re funny.”

“Stop calling me that and let me down from here.”

The troublemaker placed a finger on his cheek, tilting his head slightly. “Are you sure you want to just up and leave? After all, if you’re here to find something, you might want the guidance of someone who knows the woods so your flesh doesn’t melt off and you don’t become an enchanted mindless killer,” he said.

“You have given me absolutely no reason to trust you,” Shuichi declared. “I don’t even know your name.”

The boy rolled his eyes. Shuichi felt a brief wave of fear as he pulled a knife out, but he quickly noticed that the other was climbing the tree he hung from presumably to cut the ropes. Shuichi quickly realized this would mean he would have to somehow figure out how to not land on his head in the four feet of leeway between him and the ground. The rope snapped, and he gracefully tumbled onto his back. The other boy hopped down, snickering above him as the prince pushed his own cape from his eyes.

“It’s Kokichi, by the way,” the boy said, grinning. “Now you can’t say you don’t know my name anymore.” Shuichi sighed, pushing himself to his feet and dusting himself off as he walked off in another direction. “Really? You’re gonna ignore everything I’ve said to you? Princey, I told you the woods are dangerous… what’s so important that you need to be here, anyway?” Shuichi still didn’t respond. “Oh, I was right the first time, wasn’t I. You’re looking for a present. I wonder for whom… the princess, maybe?” He bounded up by Shuichi’s side. “I’ve got it! You two are engaged, aren’t you?!”

Shuichi finally boiled over. “We’re not engaged!” he retorted.

“But why else would you be visiting? Isn’t that a thing that royals do when they’re trying to marry their kids off?” Kokichi asked. “Oh, don’t touch that. It’s poisonous.”

Shuichi inhaled sharply, jolting away from the thicket he was about to brush aside. Kokichi giggled.

“Kidding,” he said. “Can’t you recognize a normal tree when you see one? You’re so tense.”

Shuichi skillfully concealed an exasperated groan, no noise escaping his throat. “Our parents are discussing _trade_ , not marriage.”

Kokichi emitted a loud snort. “Yeah, trading children. That’s always how it goes.”

Shuichi whirled around. “What is wrong with you? Why are you following me?” he asked, on the verge of snapping.

Kokichi stopped. He looked down, frowning sorrowfully, pursing his trembling lips just slightly. “It’s lonely out here. My fairy companion left me all alone,” he said. “I just wanted someone to talk to.” His voice shook. Shuichi, feeling a twinge of guilt, looked over his shoulder more sympathetically, only to see Kokichi’s face contort into the faintest of smiles at the change in attention. Kokichi chuckled softly at Shuichi’s confusion. “ _Maybe_ ,” he finished. “You’re cute, Princey.”

Shuichi turned back around in something of a huff, shaking his head, trying to ignore the blood rushing back to his head.

“So tell me what you’re looking for,” Kokichi said, bouncing back up next to him. “I’ll probably be able to help you find it.”

Shuichi finally accepted that he wasn’t going to be getting rid of Kokichi any time soon. “… A certain flower species,” he conceded.

Kokichi leaned forward as they walked along. “Yeah? Aaaaaand? Which one?”

“The Silent Princess.”

Kokichi hopped back upright. “Of course you are. Princey, I’m gonna have to break the news to you. Those only grow on the sacred grounds of the forest people. I take you there and you anger the forest gods or something. Your fiancée's castle will be cast into eternal darkness,” he said simply.

“She’s _not_ my fiancée. There’s no way that can be true, either. If there was a curse associated with the flower, then people would know about it or at least gossip about it,” Shuichi told him.

“Cool. Let’s go,” Kokichi replied immediately, brushing him off. He bounded off in another direction, whirling around to face Shuichi. “Come on!”

Shuichi shook his head, as if surprised that Kokichi would even bother doing that. “I’m not following you anywhere,” he said.

Kokichi put his hands on his hips, leaning forward and squinting at Shuichi. “Come on, don’t be so serious,” he said. “I was joking about the eternal darkness thing. ‘Twas a lighthearted lie. I prooomise, I’d never lead you somewhere so dangerous.”

“How am I supposed to know that you won’t just lead me somewhere and leave me out there to be lost?” Shuichi asked him.

Kokichi laughed gleefully. “You were gonna navigate the woods on your own anyway!” he answered. “If you wanted my help so badly, you could have just asked.”

Shuichi was losing his goddamn mind. If this boy was anything, he was a complete imp.

Kokichi extended a hand from his distance, beckoning Shuichi towards him. “So what do you say, Prince Shuichi?” he asked. Shuichi blinked in surprise.

“You _do_ know my name!” he exclaimed. “H-how–? I’m not even from this kingdom!”

“Of course I do!” Kokichi told him like it was obvious. “You’re royalty. Also, I just know everything, so don’t worry about it.”

Shuichi was definitely losing his mind.

* * *

For some godforsaken reason, Shuichi decided to follow the trickster deeper into the woods. Kokichi hopped around like it was nothing, disappearing just to scare him a couple of times, and generally never shutting up. Shuichi was starting to wonder why he thought this was a good idea. He wondered if Kokichi was even leading him anywhere, or if this was all a big trick.

As it turned out, it seemed Kokichi was being at least somewhat truthful. After twists and turns upon turns, weaving through an increasingly dense thicket of trees, they reached a clearing. Kokichi whirled around, posing with grandiose, a wide grin on his face.

“See? I told you there was something here!” he announced. He lowered his arms, pursing his lips for a moment. “I mean, I can’t exactly blame you for struggling to believe me. I am a liar, after all.”

Near them lay the gateway to what looked like an old defensive structure with walls that intercepted here and there to guard against any intruders during whatever active time it may have had. They were overgrown and dirty enough that they barely looked like walls–and Shuichi noticed that the whole clearing was actually surrounded by a wall that he had previously assumed was just some glorified mound of dirt. The entrance to the defensive structure was blocked by a rusted gate, but Kokichi clearly paid it no mind; he swung himself up on top of the wall like it was nothing.

“Come on, Princey!” he said, his arms out. “We’re not there yet.”

“This… looks like a war structure,” Shuichi mused. “Was there ever a time when the forest people were at war?”

Kokichi looked at him quizzically. “I dunno. Are you gonna follow me or not?”

Shuichi nervously approached the old wall. It was more than twice his height. He placed his hands on it, feeling out for any jutting bricks or anything firm to hold onto and finding nothing. “… How am I supposed to do that?” he asked hesitantly. “How did you get up there?”

“Oh, right. You _Hylians_ don’t have fairy dust to help you float,” Kokichi replied.

Shuichi did a double take. “ _What_?”

Kokichi laughed aloud, interlacing his fingers behind his head. “Kidding!” he said. “I guess you don’t have to climb it. The gate isn’t even secure, but I’m pretty sure there’s like, an entire colony of Deku Scrubs that likes to hang out in there and they’re really territorial.” Kokichi bent down, leaning over the edge. He stuck his arm out. “It’d be a real shame to see you get hurt, though, so I’ll lend you a hand. You’ve just gotta find one step.”

“Can’t you just tell me how you got up there yourself?” Shuichi asked, sighing. He was trying to find footing regardless, feeling through the thick vines and dirt with his boots.

“That’ll take too long, Princey.” Shuichi finally managed to find a spot where he could put his foot and it stayed there. He let out a sigh of relief, and Kokichi clapped his hands. “Yaaaay! You did it!”

Insufferable. Completely, utterly insufferable. Shuichi grunted slightly as he reached up and grabbed hold of some thicker vines near the top. He extended his other arm, grabbing hold of Kokichi’s cold hand. Kokichi was trying to pull him up, but he was just about as strong as he looked.

“This was an exceptionally bad idea, wasn’t it?” Shuichi asked, trying to find somewhere to put his other foot.

“Nope–! Nope, this was totally a good idea!” Kokichi replied. However, Shuichi’s other foot managed to stay somewhere, and he reached enough height to be able to pull himself up with considerable upper body strength. Kokichi was still pulling on his arm, though, so they collapsed backwards, and lo and behold, Shuichi ended up gracefully sprawled on Kokichi’s small body. Shuichi felt the smallest amount of heat rush to his face as he immediately got up and brushed himself off.

“A…Anyway,” he started, facing the other way. Kokichi sat up, a curious look on his face. “Where are the flowers?” Kokichi chuckled. It wasn’t a higher giggle, a loud jeer, or anything like the way he’d laughed before–it was only soft, dark, and noticeably menacing. It made Shuichi concerned for a hot minute.

“I’ll show you,” Kokichi answered, his voice notably more reserved in a way. He hopped to his feet, smiling. “Follow my lead, Prince Shuichi.”

Shuichi was getting an unwelcome impression that Kokichi was suddenly behaving this way on purpose, and it gave him an undeniable suspicion that Kokichi was planning something. Shuichi had been raised to be suspicious of strangers, but this was a whole new story. The growing suspicion was not a fun feeling, especially considering that they were out in the middle of a supposedly-enchanted forest and Kokichi was the only one who knew the way back.

Kokichi spun on his heel, strolling over the top of the wall to the other end of the defense fort like it was nobody’s business. Shuichi had no other choice but to follow him. The walls raised into full cliffs, curving around a stone staircase. At the end of the fort, Kokichi climbed back off the wall to the stairs, beckoning the prince to follow him.

“It’s up ahead, Princey,” Kokichi said as Shuichi somewhat sloppily skidded down the side. “You know, you don’t have a lot of grace for a prince.”

“Excuse you,” Shuichi replied, physically feeling his salt levels rising while he continued following behind the troublemaker. Kokichi cackled. As they crossed under the cliffs, orange eyes watched them from the dark. Shuichi felt a little unnerved, twitching to reach for the sword at his belt, but Kokichi didn’t seem concerned at all, so he forced his hand down.

“We’re heeeere!” Kokichi announced, throwing his arm out, and his cheery tone returning. They reached another clearing in the walls. What looked like the entrance to an ancient ruin lay above broken stairs, preventing entry. A large, mossy area of stone in the shape of a circle was in the center of the meadow, a curious marking engraved in the center. Most notably, however, the stone was thickly surrounded by the Silent Princess flowers. Shuichi let out a small sigh of relief as he could finally confirm that Kokichi wasn’t lying about the flowers. Seeing so many of the rare species in one place was like a dream. It really put the ‘enchanted’ in enchanted forest.

“… What is this place, anyway?” Shuichi asked. He knelt down by the flowers, and Kokichi let out some kind of nondescript hum.

“I told you it was a worshiping ground, didn’t I?” Kokichi told him. “Like, a long time ago, it was. Do you really want a history lesson, Princey?”

“Yes,” Shuichi answered without hesitation. He didn’t know if he could believe anything Kokichi told him, but he was incredibly curious.

Kokichi sat down on the ground next to him. “A loooong long time ago…” he started, demonstrating the longness with his hand, “this forest wasn’t magical. Can you even believe that? It was just a normal, lame forest, where regular people lived. They were real foresty though, and cut off from Hylian society, and they were friends with the fairies, so people thought they were weirdos. With the rise of the royals in this country, however, they started coming in and being a little more demanding of everyone’s jobs. Like, you know how the Zoras are in charge of taking care of Hyrule’s dominant water source?”

Shuichi nodded, listening carefully.

“The forest people were tasked with protecting a blade called the _Master Sword_ , which was said to be a legendary gift from the goddesses,” Kokichi told him. Shuichi blinked. He knew what that was. “Alas, the royals and everyone else were distrusting of the forest people. They were suspicious of their possible usage of dark magic, because they did stuff they couldn’t wrap their little heads around, and they lived in the presence of a spirit guardian. The royals were suspicious that the forest people would revolt because they worshiped more gods and honored more spirits than they did. And suddenly…” Kokichi trailed off for a moment for dramatic effect. “Bam! There was a war!”

Shuichi didn’t even care if Kokichi was making this up at this point. He didn’t know why Kokichi would make this up, but he was telling a very investing story.

“The forest people reserved their right to claim the Master Sword as property of the forest, and boy oh boy, the royals didn’t like that!” Kokichi continued. “They came in and slaughtered everyone except the children. Now, the spirit guardian of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, had just about enough of this. He laid a curse on these woods that any outsiders who got lost in them would die, and its children would become separated from the rest of the country to keep them safe. But, it was too late. The royals, accompanied by some _legendary hero_ , stole the Master Sword.” He looked up, pointing up at the inaccessible entrance to the temple. “While this is also a worshiping ground, this was a fortified base to protect the Master Sword, you know, when it was still here.” He shrugged his hands. “But times have changed, I guess.”

“Kokichi…” Shuichi started. “Were you _there_?”

There was a brief pause. “Oh, Princey! You’re so serious!” Kokichi said, laughing aloud. “I could’ve made all that up, for all you know. I’d have to be like five hundred to have lived during that time anyway. Maybe you should ask your beloved Princess Kaede. She _is_ a descendant of that family, after all.”

Shuichi looked back at the flowers. He sighed softly.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Kokichi asked, shifting to his knees and leaning towards the prince.

“If all of that is true…” Shuichi started. “I don’t want to take anything else from here. It doesn’t… feel right.”

“Oh, come on,” Kokichi told him, rolling his eyes. “It’s no big deal. They’re just flowers. Plus, I brought you out here myself.” He reached down to the large flowers, plucking one of them. He took hold of Shuichi’s hand, opening up his fingers and laying the flower in it. “Take it. Consider it your reward for following me all the way out into the middle of nowhere, even knowing how much of a liar I am.”

Shuichi’s finger’s carefully closed around the stem of the flower. “I suppose it’s really not something I do every day,” he said.

Kokichi seemed to still for just a moment, his hand still rested on the prince’s. He abruptly laughed, bouncing to his feet. “How about I take you back, Your Majesty?” he asked, grinning ear to ear.

Shuichi rose to his feet, gently sliding the flower through his belt. “… It’s been a bizarre day, but thank you, Kokichi.”

Kokichi giggled. “Don’t get too excited!” he said. Shuichi blinked in confusion as Kokichi shifted up closer to him. Oh, he was much closer than was normal. “I never said _where_ I was taking you back to, Princey…”

Shuichi’s entire body stiffened as Kokichi reached up and drew a finger under his chin, a mischievous smile on his face. Shuichi prayed to every goddess that the heat and embarrassment he felt rush to his cheeks wasn’t visible. _What was happening._

Kokichi laughed for the umpteenth time, twirling away. “Oh, relax! It’s a joke!” he said. “I’ll take you back to the entrance.”

No words could describe the confusion that Shuichi felt in that moment. Trying to consolidate whatever that emotion was seemed to be a waste of time, so he made himself settle with twisted surprise. His skin tingled where Kokichi had trailed his finger. No, no–no thinking about that. Shuichi swallowed thickly, brushing hair from his eyes as he followed behind Kokichi again. 

They scaled the wall again–more easily this time–and started making their way back through the woods. Kokichi was less talkative, like he was waiting for Shuichi to comment on something. Surely, his intention was to put Shuichi on his toes and confuse him. What other intention would he have had? They were virtually strangers, weren’t they? Shuichi, again, had failed to stop these thoughts from swarming through his head. He wasn’t going to worry about it. Desperate for something else to think about, he tried to bring something up.

“Kokichi…” Shuichi started. The boy turned his head, eyebrows and long ears perked. “You still haven’t explained how you aren’t a child, if you’re a forest spirit.”

“Aww, do you want me to explain _everything_?” Kokichi whined. “Aren’t I allowed to be mysterious, my dear prince?”

There was the feeling again, ready for Shuichi to attempt to ignore.

“If your people have a history of being misunderstood… I would really like to understand,” Shuichi told him. Perhaps Shuichi could get Kokichi to explain himself if he worded it right. 

“You reeeeaaally wanna know, huh?” Kokichi asked him, turning away as they continued walking. Shuichi had a sneaking suspicion that Kokichi had seen right through him. “I’m special!”

“… What?” Shuichi asked, blinking.

“That’s your answer!”

That was not an answer. However, Shuichi decided not to pursue the subject further. In a short while, Kokichi began to hum as the communication fizzled out and Shuichi only followed him quietly. He was less flaky this time around, only walking normally and occasionally checking to make sure Shuichi was still behind him.

Shuichi wondered if he was ever going to see this boy again. He wondered why it mattered, when Kokichi had caused him so much trouble. Sure, he got the flower because of him, and depending on whether Kokichi was being truthful or not, learned some things about the spirits of the forest… but it had all been a fairly long, tedious process.

Maybe he was only tired of being around common people who could only see him as royalty and someone to be feared, and tired of their dishonest respect for him. Kokichi wasn’t reliably honest in any regard, but at least he was forward about it and wasn’t doing it just to gain favor.

Kokichi just… seemed to do it for fun. He could do whatever he wanted just because he wanted to. Maybe, in a way, Shuichi envied that. After all, he was a prince, everyone expected everything of him, and he was barely able to go outside, much less without being circumvented by at least five guards.

Kokichi seemed to notice that something was on Shuichi’s mind. “Say, Prince Shuichi,” he started. Shuichi snapped out of his train of thought. “How did you get here by yourself?”

“… What do you mean?” Shuichi asked him.

“Aren’t they all like, _super_ protective of royals?” Kokichi asked, interlacing his fingers behind his head. “How’d you get all the way out here on your own?” He peeked over his shoulder, smirking. “Did you sneak out?”

Shuichi averted his gaze. Kokichi looked delighted.

“Oooooh!” Kokichi cooed before Shuichi even said anything. “You’re a little rebel prince! I thought you’d be a goody-two-shoes through and through.” He let out a hum, turning forward again. “Granted, you were doing it to get a flower, so it wasn’t just for the hell of it, now was it? Boooo.” Kokichi twirled towards him. “You’ll get better, my prince.”

Why was Kokichi doing this. Why was he like this. He must have known that it was making Shuichi nervous, because otherwise he wouldn’t keep doing it.

“We’ve made it back, by the way,” Kokichi said, signaling to the rope that was still on the ground. “Do you know how to get back from here?”

“Y…Yes,” Shuichi replied, his voice cracking slightly. Damn that. “Erm… goodbye, I suppose.” He brushed his hair aside again as he started to walk past the tree he had originally gotten tangled up to.

“You know, Prince Shuichi,” Kokichi started, and Shuichi stopped in his tracks. “I had a whole lot of fun with you. You should come back sometime.“

Shuichi turned slightly. He briefly smiled. “Maybe,” he answered.

“Maybe I’ll introduce you to my organization,” Kokichi told him. 

Shuichi slowly turned the rest of the way, staring at him. “Your… your what?”

Kokichi giggled. “Maybe! Ta-ta, Your Majesty. Safe travels!” Shuichi watched as Kokichi abruptly hoisted himself up the tree next to him, sitting on a branch from a spot where Shuichi could no longer see him. Kokichi waved a hand from his spot. “Be on your way, now!”

Kokichi was strange. If there was anything that Shuichi learned today, it was that. Even stranger was the prickling desire to return.

Shuichi turned on his heel towards the forest’s exit. He was sure he was going to get an earful upon his return, but with a glance at the flower at his waist, he felt like it would be worth it.


End file.
